Containers and closures therefor



Oct. 10, 1961 J. G. SHERLOCK ETAL 'comunzas cmsms men 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 31, 1961 FIG. 2

El'NVEN'KFORS Juan 6.. Suazmcx PIE-n52 IHEMMEs Oct. 10, 1961 J. a. SHERLOCK ETAL 3,003,563

CONTAINERS AND CLOSURES THEFEFQR Filed Jan. 31, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ilNvsNw-olzs Joan G Suseuocn Erma MEmmEs.

AWQRNEYS United States Patent: (3

, 3,003,668 CONTAINERS ANDCLOSURES THEREFOR John Gerrard Sherlock, Felthani, England, and Pieter Hemnies, Deventer, Netherlands, assignors to Plastic Packaging Limited, London, England, a company of Great Britain, and Thomassen & Drijver Blikemhallagefabrieken N.V., Deventer, Netherlands, a company of the Netherlands Filed Jan. 31, 1961, Ser. No. 86,152 9 Claims. (Cl. 222-541) This invention is concerned with a modification of thin walled containers or closures of the kind forming the subject of United States patent application 853,869.

In a thin-walled container or a thin-walled closure for a container forming the subject of the above application the wall of the container or closureis formed with a protrusion so shaped that the base profile thereof includes a corner such that when pressure is applied to the protrusion a concentrated load is transmitted to a localised area or point of the Wall adjacent to the corner which is thus ruptured, and in a preferred arrangement described in the specification of the above application the protrusion comprises two flat sides which intersect on a line or edge which is inclined at a substantial angle to the general plane of the wall adjacent to the protrusion, the edge formed by the intersection of the two flat sides making an angle with the plane in which the base profile of the protrusion lies of not less than 60 and preferably about 90.

it is. an object of the present invention to provide a modification of a thin-walled container or closure of the kind forming the subject of the above application which will be particularly but not exclusively suitable for application to containers or closures for containers which are to contain powdered or granular fluid substances.

In the modification of a container or closure for a container as claimed in the above application according to the present invention the protrusion is so shaped as to have a base profile including two or more corners such that when a force is applied to the end of the protrusion in a direction towards the base of the protrusion a con- U centrated road is applied simultaneously and substantially similarly to each of the localised areas or parts of the wall adjacent to the corners whereby the wall will be ruptured at two or more points around the base of the protrusion to provide two or more apertures for discharge of the contents of the container. Thus each of the corners will lie at the inner end of an edge formed where two sides of the protrusion meet and lying at a substantial angle (preferably between 60 and 90) to the plane in which the base profile of the protrusion lies.

In most cases the protrusion provided in the wall of a container or closure for a container according to the present invention will have a base profile having three or more corners and these corners will be equally angularly spaced around the base profile of the protrusion.

It will also be preferable when the protrusion projects outwardly to form part of the wall around the protrusion for the protrusion to lie wholly or partly below the level of a raised part or parts so formed as to prevent a flat surface against which such part or parts may rest also bearing upon the protrusion. Thus, risk of the protrusion being inadvertently damaged or depressed will be reduced.

The junction between the protrusion and the part of the wall immediately surrounding it is conveniently such that each of the parts of the wall of the protrusion which extends between two of the corners runs smoothly at the base of the protrusion into the adjacent part of the surrounding wall, as by the provision of a radius, since it has been found that this tends to ensure that when the protrusion is forced to its fullest extent through the ice wall on which it is formed, that is to say beyond the plane in which the base of the protrusion originally lay, the parts which then extend between the apertures thus formed act as struts tov maintain what wasthe end of the protrusion in position and hence maintain the apertures in their open condition.

While in most cases the protrusion may project outwardly from the wall of the container or the wall of the closure for the container so that it can be depressed by the app ication of an inward force thereto, in some cases it may be convenient or desirable for the protrusion to project inwardly, in which case a tab or other part will be provided projecting outwardly from the end of the protrusion and capable of being gripped and pulled outwards for the purpose of applying the required force to the end of the protrusion to cause rupture of the localised areas adjacent to the corners of the base profile of the protrusion.

Two constructions according to the invention are shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which: I

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view from above of one form of closure for a container according to the invention with the protrusion in its original form;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-section on the line 2-2 of FIG- URE l;

FIGURE 3 is a similar view to FIGURE 2 but showing the condition when the end of the protrusion has been pressed inwardly to rupture the material ofthe closure and thus provide apertures for the discharge of the contents of a container to which the closure has been applied;

' FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the closure in the condition shown in FIGURE 3, and

FIGURES 5, 6, 7 and 8 are similar views respectively to FIGURES l, 2, 3 and 4 of an alternative form of closure for a container according to the invention, the cross-section of FIGURE 6 being taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5. i

In the construction shown in FIGURES 1 to 4, the closure is in the form of a disc 1 of thin synthetic plastic material of a moderately brittle nature, for example polystyrene, having a rim portion 2 formed for application and scaling to the edge of a container of known general form, the part of the disc 1 within the rim 2 lying as shown substantially below the plane of the upper edge of the rim 2. Formed in the centre part of the disc 1 is an annular saucer-like depression .SWith a six-sided protrusion 4 projecting from its centre. As shown the sides of the protrusion 4 are flat and each pair of adjacent sides meets at an edge 5 so that the base profile of the protrusion is of hexagonal form with each of the corners or the hexagon lying at the inner end of one of the edges 5. As will be seen from FIGURE 2, the formation is such that each or" the sides of the protrusion runs smoothly into the adjacent part of the depression 3 as shown at 6.

When the protrusion, which has the initial form shown in FIGURES l and 2, has a force applied to its outer end 6a so as to force that outer end towards the base of the protrusion, and eventually beyond the plane in which the base profile originally lay into the position shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, the concentrated load thus initially similarly applied at each of the corners where an edge 5 joins the depression 3, causes rupture of the material adjacent to these corners, aft-er which movement of the end wall on through the plane in which the base profile originally lay into the position shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 causes the parts between the apertures 5a thus formed where the edges 5 originally existed to act as struts preventing the return movement of the end wall 6a so that I 3 the closure is maintained automatically in the open condition shown in FIGURES 3 and 4.

It will be apparent that the protrusion 4 lies wholly below the rim 2 of the closure and thus tends to be protected from unintentional depression by a fiat surface which may rest upon the closure or upon which the closure may rest when applied to a container.

It will also be seen that the protrusion 4 is of slightly tapered form from its base to its end 6a so that a number of closures of the form shown can be "nested on top of one another without becoming jammed one upon another.

In the alternative construction shown in FIGURES 5, 6, 7 and '8 the closure,which is also formed of a thin synthetic icompa-ratively brittle plastic material such as polystyrene, comprises an approximately flat rim portion 7 having a shallow external flange 8 to serve to locate the closure on the open end of a container prior to scaling, a tapered upwardly projecting part 9 which extends inwards and upwards from the rim 7 after the manner of the base part of a pyramid, and a fiat depressed inner portion It) united to the inner edge of the portion 9 by an inner rim portion 10a of the formation shown. Formed in the centre part of the flat portion 10 is a protrusion 1 1 of square cross-section as shown so that each pair of adjacent sides meet at an edge 12 terminating at the appropriate one of the four corners of the base profile of the protrusion.

As in the construction shown in FIGURES 1 to 4, each of the sides of the protrusion 11 preferably run smoothly into the wall 10 as shown at 13 in FIGURE 6.

It will be seen that the protrusion 11 lies wholly below the upper edge of the part 9 so as to be protected from contact with any flat surface which may rest upon this upper edge or upon which this upper edge may rest.

'When the protrusion '11 is pressed inwards towards its base and eventually beyond the plane in which its base profile lay into the position shown in FIGURES 7 and 8,

parts adjacent to the corners formed where the edges 12 meet the wall part 10 are first ruptured owing to the load concentration adjacent to such corners so as to provide four apertures in the closure, after which further movement of the end of the protrusion into the position shown in FIGURES 7-and 8 brings the parts between the apertures into a position in which they act as struts to prevent the return movement of the end 11a of the protrusion so that the closure is automatically then maintained in the condition shown in FIGURES 7 and 8 with the apertures indicated at 12 permanently open.

' It will be appreciated that similar forms of protrusion to those shown in the drawings might be arranged to project inwardly from their surrounding walls, and a tab or i3 in which the said end of the protrusion is of substantial area.

4 in its final state projecting outwardly instead of inwardly.

It will further be appreciated that although the invention has been described with particular reference to a closure for a container, it may also be applied to the wall of a container itself. For example, a construction and arrangement of protrusion similar to that described with reference to FIGURES 1 and 2 into FIGURES 5 and 6 could be applied to an end wall constituting part of a tubular container the opposite end of which is closed by application of a closure thereto.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: V

1. A thin walled container element for flowable substances wherein the wall of said element includes a part constituting a protrusion comprising a side wall and an forming parts through which, when a load is applied to the end of the protrusion in a direction towards the base of the protrusion, concentrated loads are applied simultaneously and substantially similarly to each of the 10- calized areas or parts of the wall adjacent to said corners to'rupture the wall at points adjacent to said corners and thereby provide apertures adjacent to the corners for discharge of the contents of the container.

2. A thin walled container element as claimed in claim 1 in which the side Wall of the protrusion comprises at least three edges each' terminating at one end adjacent one of said corners.

3. A thin walled container element as claimed in claim 2 in which said corners and edges are substantially equally angularly spaced around the protrusion.

4. A thin walled container element as claimed in claim '3 in which the part of the Wall surrounding the protrusion includes at least one raised part below which the protrusion lies, said raised part preventing a flat surface against which such part rests bearing upon the protrusion.

5. A thin walled container element as claimed in claim 1 in which each of the parts of the wall of the pro trusion which extends between two of the said corners runs smoothly at the base of the protrusion into the adjacent part of the surrounding wall.

6. A thin walled container element as claimed in claim 3 in which the base profile of the protrusion is approximately square.

No references cited. 

